The spices and dried fruit

To decorate

4 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp granulated sugar

Method

Put the flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl with the spices and dried fruit and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk, 50ml warm water, the beaten egg and the melted butter. Mix everything together to form a dough – start with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands. If the dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it’s too wet, add more flour.

Knead in the bowl or on a floured surface until the dough becomes smooth and springy. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size – this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.

Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for a few secs, then divide into 12 even portions – I roll my dough into a long sausage shape, then quarter and divide each quarter into 3 pieces. Shape each portion into a smooth round and place on a baking sheet greased with butter, leaving some room between each bun for it to rise.

Use a small, sharp knife to score a cross on the top of each bun, then cover with the damp tea towel again and leave in a warm place to prove for 20 mins until almost doubled in size again. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

When the buns are ready to bake, mix the plain flour with just enough water to give you a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag (or into a plastic food bag and snip the corner off) and pipe a white cross into the crosses you cut earlier. Bake for 12-15 mins until the buns are golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. While still warm, melt the granulated sugar with 1 tbsp water in a small pan, then brush over the buns.

Recipe Tip

More Easter baking

Once you’ve mastered these simple
buns, you can use the same dough to
make James's teatime Chelsea buns and
delicious fruit loaf (see 'Goes well with') – just mix up the
spices a bit and swap the currants for
other dried fruits and nuts.

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Comments, questions and tips

Great hot cross buns - I put the dough in the fridge overnight which saved time in the morning. I then let them rise for about an hour before going in the oven. I also added a bit more cinammon and some ginger.

icook

4th Apr, 2015

Very good recipe but I also found the fruit content too meagre, I will add more next time as well as some dried mixed peel.
I only added 1 sachet of yeast, I think 2 is unnecessary and mine rose perfectly well with just 1.

Teresagreen

2nd Apr, 2015

Came out well, though the dough was a bit stiff, I think I'll add more fluid next time. The recipe is very stingy with the dried fruit, I added more than the recipe and it still wasn't enough, needs double the fruit.

dbtor

2nd Apr, 2015

3.8

They were really nice, but I would double the spices (cinnamon, mixed spice and nutmeg) as they were a bit plain.
I also had a lot of trouble with the dough at first, it was really really sticky and hard to work with. It was fine and very easy to make after the first proving.

KateB

15th Mar, 2015

5.05

Made a batch of these today and personalised them for Mother's Day to spell out a message instead of the traditional crosses! Absolutely lovely, tasted delicious and will definitely be making them again!

leo-in-france

18th Apr, 2014

5.05

After making hot cross buns for a lifetime. I thought I'd try a modern recipe rather than the one I have been using for years and years - and these were a revelation! They were exactly, 'right'. The smell was tantalizing, and the taste .....
Having read all the reviews,I agree with all who said, ' more spices' I doubled up, and that seemed about right.. I also glazed them with orange juice & sugar, plus a little orange blossom water, which worked well.
I'll be making them again soon!

bonnebouffe

2nd Apr, 2013

5.05

Excellent - they have the flavour I remember from childhood, and are especially good split in half and toasted under the broiler. However, I find that the buns should be scored just before baking, not before the second rising, because otherwise they tend to open out too much. Also, I found the paste crosses became unpleasantly tough and chewy after a few hours (although they seldom last that long if I have the family at home!)

erinmw

28th Mar, 2013

5.05

I have these in the oven ready to take round to my father in law this afternoon, I am soo excited, they smell wonderful and are looking great!

solentgreen

25th Mar, 2013

5.05

These are delicious to eat on Easter Sunday. We have a family tradition of watching Mel Gibson's wonderful film "The Passion of The Christ" and we eat these whilst watching, beats popcorn any day, yummy!

planetbake

26th Jun, 2012

This very strange - the best I've always made

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